New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS): Committed to fostering longstanding, historic and close relations with all Gulf countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a two-day visit to Kuwait starting Saturday - the first by an Indian PM to the key West Asian country in 43 years.

"India and Kuwait share traditionally close and friendly relations which are rooted in history and have been underpinned by economic and strong people to people linkages. India is among the top trading partners of Kuwait. The Indian community is the largest expatriate community in Kuwait. The visit will provide an opportunity to further strengthen the multifaceted ties between India and Kuwait," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said ahead of PM Modi's historic visit.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will hold discussions with the leadership of Kuwait - including Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir of the State of Kuwait - and is also scheduled to interact with the large Indian community in the country.

PM Modi will be accorded a Ceremonial Guard of Honour at the Bayan Palace, following which he will hold separate one-on-one meetings with the Emir and the Crown Prince of Kuwait. It will be followed by delegation-level talks with the Prime Minister of Kuwait during which both sides will review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including areas such as politics, trade, investment, energy, culture, people-to-people ties, and the steps needed to further enhance them

"India and Kuwait share an age-old bond characterized by historical ties, robust economic exchanges, and vibrant cultural connections," MEA Secretary (CPV & OIA) Arun Kumar Chatterjee told reporters on Friday.

Ahead of the landmark visit, the MEA spotlighted that there has been a major transformation in India's ties with the Gulf region and the PM has given "special emphasis" to strengthen and deepen relations with the Gulf countries.

Kuwait currently holds the current presidency of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - also comprising the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar - and the only GCC member country that PM Modi has not visited so far since assuming office in 2014. A proposed visit in 2022 was postponed due to the Covid pandemic.

Gulf countries are major trade and investment partners for India, and New Delhi also has a strong energy partnership with these countries.

During the visit, PM Modi will also interact with the Indian diaspora at a community event and will also visit a labour camp. He will also attend the opening ceremony of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup as a special guest of the Emir of Kuwait.

"The government of India attaches considerable importance to the welfare of all workers abroad. We have a community of around one million Indians in the country. The purpose of the Prime Minister's visit to the labour camps is to emphasise the importance the government of India places on the welfare of our workers in foreign countries," stated Chatterjee.

Earlier this month, as he called on PM Modi at his Lok Kalyan Marg residence during his visit to New Delhi, Kuwait's Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya had extended an invitation to the Prime Minister from the Kuwait leadership to visit the country "at the earliest opportunity which the PM had graciously accepted.

A few hours later, as he held the delegation-level talks with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar at the Hyderabad House, Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya called India as a "very important partner" and Prime Minister Modi as "one of the wisest persons" in the world.

"I would like to thank you for the invitation and also for the opportunity of meeting Prime Minister Modi, who we believe is one of the wisest persons worldwide. I am sure that the Prime Minister puts India on a better level, and I am sure that he will continue that... India is a very important partner and we count on our relationship," the visiting Foreign Minister said in the meeting held on December 4.

In September, PM Modi had met with Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait, on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UNGA in New York in what was the first meeting between the two leaders.

Recalling the strong historical ties and people-to-people linkages between the two countries during the meeting, Prime Minister Modi had conveyed that India attaches "utmost importance" to its bilateral relations with Kuwait.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) later said that the meeting between the leadership of the two countries is expected to impart a "fresh momentum" to bilateral ties between India and Kuwait.

"They noted with satisfaction that the two countries were supporting each other with energy and food security requirements. They expressed their firm commitment to deepen and diversify bilateral ties for the mutual benefit of both countries. Prime Minister thanked the Crown Prince for ensuring the well-being of the Indian community in Kuwait, which is the largest diaspora group in the country," read a statement issued by the MEA on September 22, 2024.

During his discussions with the visiting Kuwait Foreign Minister earlier this month, PM Modi had once again expressed confidence that the close cooperation between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council would be further strengthened under Kuwait’s ongoing Presidency of the GCC.

As they exchanged views on the situation in West Asia and expressed support for early return of peace, security and stability in the region, PM Modi thanked the leadership of Kuwait for taking care of the one million strong Indian community living in Kuwait.

Later, EAM Jaishankar and Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya had reaffirmed their joint commitment to enhancing stability and security in the region and the world.

"Following the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on the establishment of a joint committee for bilateral cooperation between the State of Kuwait and the Republic of India, which reflects the determination of the two friendly countries to push the level of bilateral relations to higher, broader and more comprehensive levels," stated Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.